Look at that – I aim to blog every week or so, but it’s the first of the month already!

Although I know what took the time up; preparing for half term, half term, and recovering from half term. Damn – I should be better prepared! 😉

Anyhow. The first of the month means it’s Insecure Writers Support Group time again. And this month they’re asking;

Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

Well, the short answer is yes.

Oh, you wanted the long version? Ok, well, quite often stories brew away in my backbrain for a while before they’re ready to spill onto the page. Even then, they often don’t work first time, or something else will shove itself to the front.

One story in particular, I originally wrote for a competition. Needless to say, it didn’t get anywhere, and I left it on the shelf.

Around that time, I gradually came to the conclusion that I wasn’t a competition writer. My style isn’t really what competition judges are looking for. But. I knew that readers liked ’em. I just didn’t know how to go about getting the readers.

I pulled it out after a year or so, and read it to my writing group. Fortunately for me, someone with experience said; “This is just the thing that magazines like The People’s Friend are looking for.” And, what do you know? They were!

Writing is part of the battle. Understanding who your audience is, is another part.

Congrats! That is awesome. Sometimes all a writer needs is a fresh set of eyes. Except for the odd one, I’m not entering competitions anymore. I’d much rather submit my work to paying markets for free than keep paying entry fees.